Michigan gymnastics doctor pleads guilty to sex charges

by DAVID EGGERT, Associated Press

FILE- This Nov. 22, 2016, file photo shows Dr. Larry Nassar appearing during a video arraignment in Mason, Mich. A person with knowledge of the agreement says the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor will plead guilty to multiple charges of sexual assault and face at least 25 years in prison. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss the agreement ahead of a Wednesday court hearing and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Nassar is charged with molesting seven girls under the guise of treatment at his home and a campus clinic. All but one were gymnasts. The plea deal calls for a minimum prison sentence of 25 years. But the judge could go higher and set the minimum at 40 years. (AP Photo/David Eggert, File){&nbsp;}

LANSING, Mich. (AP) —

A sports doctor accused of molesting girls while working for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple charges of sexual assault and will face at least 25 years in prison.

Dr. Larry Nassar, 54, was charged with molesting seven girls, mostly under the guise of treatment at his Lansing-area home and a campus clinic. All but one of his accusers was a gymnast. He faces similar charges in a neighboring county and lawsuits filed by more than 125 women and girls.

Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas are among the women who have publicly said they were among Nassar’s victims.

Some of his accusers attended the hearing Wednesday in a packed Ingham County courtroom. Some were crying.

Nassar admitted to digital penetrating the victims and agreed that his conduct had no legitimate medical purpose and that he did not have the girls’ consent.

The plea deal in Ingham County calls for a minimum prison sentence of 25 years, but a judge could set the minimum sentence as high as 40 years. In Michigan, inmates are eligible for parole after serving a minimum sentence.

Sentencing was set for Jan. 12.

The girls have testified that Nassar molested them with his hands, sometimes when a parent was present in the room, while they sought help for gymnastics injuries.

“He convinced these girls that this was some type of legitimate treatment,” Assistant Attorney General Angela Poviliatis told a judge last summer. “Why would they question him? Why would they question this gymnastics god?”

Separately, Nassar is charged with similar crimes in Eaton County, the location of an elite gymnastics club. He also is awaiting sentencing in federal court on child pornography charges.

The Michigan criminal cases against Nassar followed reports last year in the Indianapolis Star about how USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians, mishandled complaints about sexual misconduct involving the doctor and coaches. Women and girls said the stories inspired them to step forward with detailed allegations of abuse, sometimes when their parents were in the exam room at Michigan State.